Elemental Wolf
by Strawberry Toothpaste
Summary: The avatar characters as wolves. The wolves of the forest of fire are slowly taking control of the whole of the alliance, and only the halfgrown elemental wolf can stop them. Kataang, Sukka, Maiko.
1. Prologue

Elemental Wolf

_Yes, it's an Avatar fanfiction! I wanted to write something a little bit unusual, so, I thought, hey, why not have all the characters be wolves? I've taken some liberty with fur colors and a few other things, but please remember that this IS just a story. This first part is the prologue, set many years before the beginning of the actual story. Kataang, Sukka, Maiko._

_Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Avatar. I'll ask for it when I get around to actually having my birthday party._

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Wolves of every color gathered among the rocks. Some of them were worn out from many days of traveling, while others had come early and rested. This was a no-man's land. No pack could survive out here. There wasn't enough food. Because of the territory's lack of desirability, it had been chosen as a gathering place for the assembly. The furious murmuring that usually went on as the allied packs from different territories spoke together were louder than usual. There was a good reason for that, too. The stunning white and blue wolves of the forest of air were missing entirely, and the most brutal of the wolf packs from the forest of fire were absent as well. There was no mingling between the fire forest wolves and the others tonight.

The meeting began suddenly, without the consent of the leaders of the earth and water forests. The powerful black furred leader of the fire forest stepped up onto the highest rock, his 2 strongest underlings just behind him. He raised his head to the darkening sky and let out a mighty howl. All of the wolves turned their attention to the fearful leader. His golden eyes glinted with some sort of sick joy when he saw the fear in their hearts reflecting in their eyes. An evil, smug sort of a smile settled on his jaw line, startling a pup from the water forest and causing her to whimper and cower behind her mother. It was one of the brave hunters of earth forest who spoke out first against the huge male wolf who stood over them.

"What's going on?! Where are the wolves of air forest?!" He barked up, holding his ground even when a duo of fire forest females approached him from the sides. Anger glinted in his eyes. His chosen mate was currently living with the air forest wolves, having chosen to stay with her family another year before coming to join him. His love of her made him fearless.

"By now, the wolves of air forest are dead." The leader of the fire forest wolves spoke calmly, with a menace behind his words that made them all too believable. A collective gasp went through the crowd. There was no way this could be true! The earth forest hunter looked devastated.

"No! You're lying!" He fought the burning in his eyes and the howl of pain rising in his throat. But there was no time for a howl. No sooner did he yelp his accusation of the fire leader than one of the strongest wolves of fire forest lunged forward and tore wildly at the hunter's throat. His moment of lost-love induced weakness had been his downfall.

Fear scent flooded the clearing, and a few wolves around the edges of the clearing tried to bolt, only to be stopped short by the hunters of fire forest. One elderly water wolf stepped forward, weary paws hindering her movement. She was nearing the end of her life, and she had one last wisdom to tell the assembly she'd worked for her whole life.

"You will never rule us. A pup guarded by the spirit of the Elements has been born again, and with the little one alive, neither the air forest wolves nor the assembly will fall." She spoke defiantly.

"The air wolves are dead! All of them!" The leader snarled back, dismissing this nonsense of an elemental wolf. One of them had not been seen for as long as anyone could remember, and what he said was true. Not one of them could be alive now. Or, that's what he thought as he watched his wolves begin the destruction that would continue for way past his own life time.

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A half-grown wolf raced across the icy plains, passing through the outskirts of the water forest. His fur was a startling white, and pale bluish arrows trailed across his back, legs, and even his forehead. He was nothing short of gorgeous, but he was nothing special for a wolf of the air forest. Not on the outside, at least. As he bolted for the safety of the caves, trying to ignore the aching hunger that was alone in his belly, he was completely unaware of the carnage that had taken place all throughout his home forest. He needed to escape the pressure of home, and this was the only place he could think of to run to.

The unknowingly last of the air forest wolves quietly stepped into the caves, and instantly became ever colder. He shivered and slunk into the back of the cave. There was a sheet of ice back here, and he smiled ever so slightly. Ice was fun. He tenderly placed a paw on it. It held, and he moved on top of it even further.

Without warning, the ice cracked and the little wolf fell underneath it. He let out a soundless call for help, and then felt the cold sinking in around him. He was freezing, and not in a normal way. Thank you, spirits.

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_OK, we're done for now! Hope you guys liked it. Please comment! Strawberry out!_


	2. Katara & Sokka

Elemental Wolf

_Yup, I'm updating already. I'm determined to get this story properly on its feet before finals start and I have to basically stop writing for a week or 2. Much thanks to those who already reviewed, you made me want to keep writing! _

_Disclaimer: Still don't own Avatar. You can tell, can't you?_

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Across the snowy field came two water forest wolves. Neither of them was fully grown or fully healthy. The lack of food that came with losing the better half of their territory to the wolves of the fire forest was taking a toll on all of them. These two, in particular, looked rather similar. It only made sense- they were littermates, brother and sister. Both had the exact same tone of thick grey fur covering their bodies. However, there was one huge difference between them, appearance wise. The male had the average color for markings, white, on his paws and mixed into his fur in patches. His sister, on the other hand, was swirled with a black darker than most nights, making her a startlingly beautiful creature. And tonight they were hunting alone, something that you didn't usually find among wolves.

"Come on, Sokka, you know very well this stretch is almost as useless as the old assembly grounds." The female's voice had a slight edge of irritation to it. She was hungry, and this was a time to be joining the others in their hunt, not playing the hero by searching for food in a place where there was none like a fool.

"But nobody's been here for years, Katara! You never know, maybe some rabbits moved in!" The white and grey wolf cheered with unusual enthusiasm. Normally, he would have been the one displaying the pessimism, but it had been his idea and he was stubbornly sticking with it.

"We passed the last shred of edible plants a mile ago!" Katara growled, trying to put some sense into her brother. Sokka was known for trying to impress everyone, still wanting to prove to everyone he could be a powerful hunter. Their mother had been killed in the fight for the lost territory some years back, and then the strongest fighters had all left to join the resistance pack.

"Well, maybe we can catch some fish or something." Sokka's voice clearly said that this was the end of the conversation. Katara sighed. There had been a time when the wolves of the water forest had only resorted to hunting the creatures that their name suggested during their harsh winters. But now it seemed like it was all they ever ate.

The siblings made their way across the barren land, dodging patches of ice. While the wind had been nearly silent when they'd left the den, it was starting to whistle now, kicking up gusts of the powdery snow. Sokka walked slightly ahead of Katara, instinctively shielding the smaller female wolf from the snow and ice. The cold seeped in through their thick fur, making it clear that there was a storm coming, and it was coming fast. From the map of the territory that had more than once been scraped into the dirt in the nursery, both of the water forest wolves knew that they were getting close to the caves. They had been warned against ever entering them, but there didn't seem to be a choice. It was retreat into the caves or freeze trying to get back home.

Yet again, Sokka took the lead. Katara was too cold and hungry to protest him leading them into the dangerous caves. It wasn't like it could hurt to let him go first. Although she'd never admit it, Katara wasn't as good at fighting as her brother. She was amazing in the water, but the caves weren't under water. They were edging the frozen lake, but they were not under the water themselves.

As the storm kicked up behind them, the two wolves huddled together for warmth in the center of the cavern. It was dark, and it was sure to only get darker as the storm got worse.

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The storm stayed the way it was for a while, steadily getting stronger. Suddenly, the wind changed direction, filling the cavern's main chamber with little chunks of ice. As the sun slowly slinked behind the horizon, so did Katara and Sokka retreat further back into the cave. When the hail finally could not reach them, it was pitch black. Neither of them could see anything but the faint glow of the other's eyes.

Katara took a step backwards, and was startled when her paw fell onto a sheet of ice. She slipped, falling backwards onto the center of the deep pool of ice. Sokka was on his feet instantly, scrambling out to join his sister on the ice, worried for her safety. Katara stood up, and suddenly the cave was full of gentle blue light. The source was under the ice. Just below the female's feet was a handsome white and blue male, the blue markings on his fur glowing.

"Katara, what did you do?!" Sokka cried, trying to move and get a closer look, only to slip himself and slide farther away from his sister and the unfamiliar frozen wolf. Katara sniffed at the ice, and then struck it with her front paw. A slight crack formed in the ice, which startled her. It appeared to be frozen through, but it clearly it was not.

"Sokka! Let's get him out!" She scratched at the ice as if she was trying to dig into it. Sokka let out a yelp of protest. He'd seen a pup fall under the ice and drown during his puppyhood, and he wasn't planning on letting his sister do that to herself. He kicked off the wall at the edge of the ice, skating towards his sister on awkward, scrambling paws. Just as he reached her, one of her scratches drew water, and the glowing increased.

The wolf under the ice suddenly floated to the surface and pulled himself up through the crack in the ice that Katara had made. He coughed up a lungful of water, and then collapsed on an unbroken part of the ice that had served as his prison. Katara rushed to go to him, but her brother grabbed her tail in his teeth with just enough force to hold her back. She turned to glare at him, but before she could open her mouth, Sokka was already talking.

"You don't know anything about that wolf! He could be from anywhere!" He growled a warning through a mouthful of tail, concern for his only sister's safety flooding his eyes. Katara, however, did not take kindly to his worry.

"He's barely half grown! He's younger than we are!" She snarled and nipped at her brother's tattered left ear. It had been hurt in a fight some time back, and she knew it was still sensitive. Sure enough, Sokka let her go, and she was free to venture out onto the ice and towards the white and blue wolf.

Katara reached the younger male and sniffed his wet fur, trying to figure out what pack he was from. His smell was utterly foreign to her, meaning he was probably a loner. Still, apart from being nearly drowned, he looked perfectly healthy, meaning that he probably hadn't been a loner for long if he was one. She licked between his ears, trying to wake him, and, sure enough, his eyes snapped open.

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Aang opened his grayish eyes to discover that they were almost level with a pair of blue ones. The light in cavern began to fade before he could get a good look at her, but the smell in the air marked her as a female who had only just come of age. His skin grew warm under his fur. Even when he was wet and confused, there was nothing that can disrupt a young male wolf's mind like the scent of a female around his age.

Even though Sokka didn't know about the way the younger male was absorbing the single moment of his sister's image, a growl rose in his throat, and he came to stand protectively near Katara. The darkness was back, making it even harder to determine the origin of the young wolf.

"Where are you from?" Words formed in the older male's growl. His eyes glared out of the darkness, still reflecting the tiniest shred of light.

"The forest of air." Aang hesitantly replied, wondering why there was such a hostile note in the other male's voice. Without getting up, he looked from Katara to Sokka in confusion, startled by their shocked silence.

"Am I trespassing or something?"

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_Well, this is where I leave you for now! Hope you liked it! R & R, please. I'll update again after I get a few more reviews! _


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